The present invention relates to hand-held cleaning devices and, in particular, to such devices which carry and dispense cleaning fluid.
Prior soap-dispensing cleaning devices are known which include a housing defining a soap-containing reservoir, a bottom wall of the housing carrying a cleaning medium, such as a sponge, brush or the like, the reservoir being closed by a cap. A valve assembly dispenses fluid from the reservoir to the cleaning medium. One such device is disclosed in EP-A-0198 389. Here, there is provided at the base of the housing a valve assembly having a lower opening defining a value seat, and a thin valve stem protruding downwardly through the opening. As the user presses the bottom of the device against an object to be cleaned the valve stem is forced upwardly against the action of a resilient support, allowing the soap to drain from the reservoir.
One problem with this structure is that the device is prone to leakage both at the position of the valve and at the screw cap.
The invention seeks to provide an improved fluid-containing cleaning device which avoids the disadvantages of prior such devices while affording additional structural and operating advantages.